The release of the New Zealand Dental Association’s (NZDA) 2026 Oral Health Scorecard has highlighted a stark reality for our region. Hawke’s Bay currently ranks worst nationally for child dental care, with 52.4% of tamariki overdue for scheduled Community Oral Health Service appointments – more than five times the national benchmark target.

As amplified in recent media coverage by Waatea News, these figures expose a severe structural failure disproportionately impacting Māori tamariki and whānau. While short-term Tō Wāha pop-up clinics provide critical temporary relief, temporary fixes cannot resolve a systemic crisis.

This crisis directly reinforces some of the core concerns we outlined in our manifesto: true health equity cannot be achieved through centralized inaction or piecemeal responses. Following our late-2025 deep-dive review on Oral Health, Te Ikaroa IMPBs delivered 22 concrete, actionable recommendations to Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) leadership in February 2026. Six months later, system progress remains stalled while over half our region’s children are left behind.

Hawke’s Bay does not need more reports or delays. Tihei Tākitimu is urging Health New Zealand to immediately release regional commissioning resources, deploy an emergency taskforce to clear the backlog, and invest in permanent, Kaupapa Māori-led health delivery.

Our tamariki deserve a future free from preventable pain – it is time to fully fund and deliver local solutions.